The Office Cute Meet
by delenadrabbles
Summary: AU/AH. A short two-part drabbleset. Stefan and Caroline meet in the most ordinary, unexpected of ways. After figuring out their six degrees of separation, they decide they just might be the perfect match after all. A large dose of Delena included, as well. For Steph.
1. Chapter 1

**Written for Steph [babyvampelena on Tumblr]. Hope you all like it! :)**

* * *

"Stacy, will you send in Miss Forbes please?" Stefan called out to his secretary while glancing over the last details of the paperwork for her impending appointment.

He looked up as he heard the door to his office creak open and closed as a young blonde came in. She was dressed in a blue and yellow floral print sundress with white sandals and a rather large purple handbag thrown over her shoulder. "Please take a seat, Miss Forbes," he gestured with his pen to the seat in front of his desk.

"Caroline," she said quickly with a little smile.

"Excuse me?" he finally met her gaze as she nervously adjusted the sunglasses perched on top of her golden locks.

"You can call me Caroline," she clarified. "I'd prefer it, actually. I mean, cause this is my first time in one of these meetings, you know? I've never been in this kind of situation before and, I'm just...nervous."

Stefan smiled warmly at the girl in front him as her words trailed off in discomfort. She slumped slightly in her seat, her fingers fidgeting with the straps of her handbag. "Don't worry, it's really not as big of a deal as you think it is. We'll keep it light if it makes you feel better, though. You can call me Stefan, okay?" he cocked his head toward her with a grin.

"No Mr. Salvatore necessary?" she joked weakly, gesturing toward the gold plated name plaque on his desk.

"Nope, not today," the accountant laughed. "So how about we talk about why you're here? My paperwork says you've asked for a meeting because you're inquiring about potential loan options?"

"Yes, I am," she straightened, getting down to business. "Nothing to large or hard to manage, it's just there's been ... a series of unfortunate events that have recently occurred in my life that have cost me more money than I had anticipated and I'm just a bit behind."

"...A series of unfortunate events? Isn't that a children's book series?" Stefan furrowed his brow.

"What? Yes, but that's so not the point," she snipped, losing her professional air. "The point is my cheating ass of an ex-fiance left me a month before the wedding after everything had already been booked, so now I have to pay off the caterers, the venue, the flowers, and everything else on the salary of my failing boutique and...God! Sorry, too much information, right?"

She huffed in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air. Stefan's eyes softened as he took in the vivacious girl in front of him. There was just something about her that he was drawn to. Yeah, he could definitely tell she liked to gossip and shop more than she should, but he saw through her brave front to the broken heart she was hiding. He just felt this strong need to protect her.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. About your fiance," he pursed his lips together, deliberating how much he could professionally say. "He obviously didn't deserve you if he couldn't see what an amazing person you are."

"You just met me," she murmured, suddenly shy. A small smile crept up on her face that he thought was the most beautiful thing he had seen all day.

"Well, I have great intuition," he joked, locking eyes with her. Gathering up his paperwork, he took a second look at his proposed financial plan for her. "Luckily, your situation isn't as bad as you think it is. You have a pretty good credit score, and you've always been in good standing here at Chase. I'm just gonna go ahead and sign off on your loan, and Stacy out front can take care of the dirty work."

"Are you serious? Oh my god, that's amazing!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together and jumping up from her seat. "I swear, I'll be on time with my payments. I'll be a model banker."

"I'm not worried at all, Caroline," he smiled, his ballpoint pen gliding across the forms in his loopy signature. He looked up to see her eyes travelling all around his office in fascination. He wondered what was running through her thoughts about him when suddenly her movements stopped, and she pointed to a frame on his bookshelf.

"Do you know him?" she asked, her voice lilting curiously. Turning around to the picture in question, Stefan sighed in frustration.

"Look, I kind of don't want to talk about my brother right now, if it's okay with you," Stefan grumbled, leaning over to hand her the finished forms. Of course, the one girl that had truly captivated him since his break up with Rebekkah a few months ago was interested in his brother. How typical.

"That's your brother? He looks almost exactly like my best friend's new boyfriend. Is his name Damon?" She whipped her head around to face him, obviously on the hunt for important gossip.

"Yeah, actually. Wait, you're Elena's best friend?" he asked her in astonishment and relief. Everything was seemingly falling together like a puzzle.

"Yes! I can't believe we've never met before!" she cried happily, a wide grin spread across her features. She placed her hands jokingly on her hips. "Please tell me you're going to their Fourth of July barbecue this Saturday."

"I am," he nodded in amusement, "Would you like to go with me, Caroline?"

"Mr. Salvatore, I thought you'd never ask," she cocked her head coyly, her eyes sparkling.

"Hey, I thought we said none of that 'Mr. Salvatore' stuff!" he chuckled teasingly, flipping his pen between his fingers and leaning back in his chair.

"Alright, _Stefan_," she quirked her eyebrows at him while leaning over to write her number and address on the stack of Post-its on his desk. "4 o'clock on Saturday?"

"I'll pick you up," he called, as she slung her bag over her arm and flounced out of his office with one last look at him over her shoulder.

Stefan let out a breath in admiration at her retreating figure. He was in awe of her. She was just someone so warm and caring and beautiful and … simply so alive. He knew that if he kept after her, she would consume him until she would be all he wanted or needed. She would simply be the death of him. But in that moment, that didn't seem so bad. It might actually be the best way to die.


	2. Chapter 2

"Have I told you yet how gorgeous you look?" he inquired again, placing his hand lightly on the small of her back and leading her up the pathway to the Gilbert backyard.

"Hmm," she suppressed a grin, "maybe once or twice." She flipped her curled blonde locks over her shoulder to throw him a flirty, humorous grin. He felt heat rise up at the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, but his affection for her simply overwhelmed him.

Stefan remembered just minutes ago when he was waiting anxiously on her front steps to pick her up and having the awful feeling that perhaps she had changed her mind. Maybe she realized that he wasn't adventurous or funny enough. Maybe she had decided she could do better [because he still firmly believed she could do so much better than him]. He recalled the paranoia settling in like a hard weight in his chest as he shifted his feet, casting his eyes downward to the flowery welcome mat adorning the Forbes' porch.

But all his fears washed away as Caroline opened the door to him with a bright smile and a sway of her hips. He couldn't draw his eyes away from the shimmery red of her halter dress, his eyes only widening further as he caught a glimpse of its backlessness going all the way down toward the small of her waist as she turned to lock the front door.

"I would expect to hear it at least a few more times throughout the evening," he smiled, drawing himself back into the moment. Her light blue eyes sparkled at his words as she placed the lightest of touches to his forearm, sending an electric pulse all the way to his spine [and a thrill of excitement toward his lower half as well]. "I really can't help it with you looking so breath-taking."

"Stefan," her face tilting toward him, her eyes wide and vulnerable, "I'm really glad we're doing this."

"Me too, Caroline," his shoulders relaxed as relief spread through him. With a more confident smile and her hand still placed on the crook of his arm, he swung the back gate open into the impending buzz of their friends.

* * *

Loitering by the snack table, she picked up a succulent red strawberry and had it poised at her lips when she suddenly felt a breathe of hot air at the back of her neck. 'Oh,' she murmured, already halfway to aroused as Damon slipped his arm around her stomach, pulling her back into his chest.

"Did you see who my brother brought with him today?" he placed his head on her shoulder, letting his lips brush against the sensitive hollow of her left ear.

She gingerly turned in his arms to face him, not wanting to brush against him too much [that would only lead to them leaving their own party for an indefinite period of time]. She briefly thought about scolding him for his tendency toward public sexual displays, but those weren't the words she found coming out of her mouth. "Not yet, why?"

His grip ever so gently tightening at the ruched waist of her navy strapless dress, he tilted his head to the opposite side of her lawn. Following his gaze, her eyes widened fractionally at the sight of her best friend and the younger Salvatore engaged in close proximity. "Huh. I had no idea," her voice lilting in curiosity as her hand grasped Damon's forearm. "I think they'd be cute together though, don't you think?"

He tilted his head back with a chuckle before bringing his eyes down to meet her questioning gaze. "Are you kidding? Barbie would eat my brother alive!"

"Hey! She's still my friend you know!" she swatted playfully at him.

"Oh believe me," he smirked wolfishly," that was much more of a disrespect to Stefan."

* * *

"You know they're talking about us, right?" Stefan glanced peripherally at his brother and Elena. He smiled, his arms crossing as he leaned against the rough trunk of the willow tree at the edge of the Gilbert property.

Neither Salvatore had been at all successful in their past relationships, considering their past habit of falling for controlling, vindictive...bitches. He vividly remembered Damon's tumultuous [at best] relationship with Katherine, and how even though he had loved her, Stefan had never seen him as smitten as he was right now. No, Damon was much more open and genuine with Elena. He hadn't seen his older brother this happy in quite some time.

"More like arguing, really," Caroline corrected flippantly. At Stefan's confused expression, she continued, "It's not, like, _bad_. But, come on, haven't you noticed? The way they always bicker and banter about the stupidest things only to just end up doing it doggy style right there on the couch or something? It's total foreplay for them."

"Ugh, Caroline," Stefan swiped his hands desperately in front of him, his face scrunching up, "I love my brother, and I'm all for him having a healthy... romantic relationship. But I really don't want to picture all. _Ever_."

"Well, it looks like we might be the cause of their next tryst," she laughed gleefully as she tilted her head toward the other couple trying to covertly sneak into the house, arm and arm, undetected.

"Oh God. He owes me so big," Stefan's nose wrinkled, only spurring Caroline's wickedly amused laughter even further.

"Come on, let's go sit down," she laced her fingers delicately with his, "Ric's about to light the fireworks."

As they settled down on the grassy uphill, Stefan slowly raised their locked hands and placed the softest of kisses to her wrist. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and it gave him an immense sense of pleasure to know he affected her just as much as she did for him. He brought his gaze up to meet hers, and found the rims of her eyes dark pools of barely concealed need. It was his turn for his breath to catch in his throat, the depth of her radiating emotions nearly tilting him off his axis.

His thumb gently traced the frantic pulse point on her wrist as he gently leaned forward, keeping his gaze locked on hers. Finding no hesitation in her expression, he brought his other hand up to gently cup her cheek.

The electric heat of the moment was suddenly shattered by the loud boom and bright flashes of the celebratory fireworks overhead. Barely suppressing a groan, he leaned back in frustration. Impeccable timing, Ric.

"I've never really liked fireworks," he sighed, breaking the grip on her hand and lying on his back, one arm behind his head.

His eyes briefly fluttered closed until he was sure he heard her breathy murmur, "Well, we'll just have to change that."

His eyes flew open as he felt Caroline's hand press against his chest as she hovered above him. And without a moment of hesitation, their lips were melting together in a heated embrace.

All his senses were on overdrive as his arm curled around her back, his fingers feeling the naked heat of her skin. As she nipped playfully at his bottom lip, he regained control by tilted her head slightly and gaining better access to the cavernous warmth of her mouth. Their tongues equally dueling and caressing, he pulled her curved hips even closer to him in an attempt to fully eliminate all space between them.

He felt her fingertips move up his chest to dig into the exposed skin at his open collar, and he had almost lost all sense of reason as he felt himself drowning in her very essence [consumed by all that she is; all her warmth and light and goodness].

He slowly retracted from her, only to place one more soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. She bit her lip adorably before a beautiful grin spread across her face as she rested her forehead against his own. "So what do you think?"

"Hmm, fireworks aren't half bad after all," he teased, nipping at the soft flesh just below her right ear. His actions eliciting a giggle from the blonde above him, he thought to himself that his life would never [could never really] be the same again. With this beautifully vivacious woman in his arms, his life seemed filled with more color and hope and laughter than he had ever dreamed possible for himself. And he'd be damned if he ever let her go.


End file.
